John Jeffry Louis Jr. | |
|---|---|
 1981 (on left) | |
| United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom | |
| In office May 27, 1981 – November 7, 1983 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Kingman Brewster Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Charles H. Price II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1925-06-10)June 10, 1925 |
| Died | February 15, 1995(1995-02-15) (aged 69) |
| Spouse | Josephine Louis |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | John Jeffry Louis Henrietta Johnson Louis |
| Alma mater | Williams College (BA) Dartmouth College (MBA) |
| Occupation | Businessman, diplomat |
John Jeffry Louis Jr. (June 10, 1925 – February 15, 1995) was an American businessman and diplomat. He served as theUnited States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.[1]
John J. Louis Jr., was born inEvanston, Illinois toChicago advertiser John Jeffry Louis andJohnson Wax heiressHenrietta Johnson Louis. He grew up in the Chicago area.
During theSecond World War, he served in theUnited States Army Air Forces (1943–1945), where he was asecond lieutenant and pilot.[2] After the war, he received a bachelor of arts degree fromWilliams College and a master in business administration from theTuck School of Business atDartmouth College in 1949.
Entering business in 1951, John J. Louis Jr. started in his father's advertising firm,Needham, Louis, and Brorby.[2] In 1953, he marriedJosephine Louis (née Peters), with whom he had three children.[1] He then joinedS.C. Johnson and Son in 1958. S.C. Johnson was the successor company of his great-grandfather's company, Johnson Wax. At S.C. Johnson, John J. Louis Jr. was director of international marketing until 1961.
From 1961 to 1968, he was chairman of KTAR Broadcasting inPhoenix, Arizona, until it merged with a local billboard company to form Combined Communications Corporation. He then served as chair of the merged company. In 1979, Combined Communications merged withGannett, and Louis joined Gannett.
His first diplomatic work was in the ceremonial role of Special Ambassador in 1972 at an independence celebration in Gabon, during the presidency ofRichard Nixon. More substantially, he was nominated to the post ofUnited States Ambassador to the United Kingdom by PresidentRonald Reagan on March 27, 1981.[2] He served in that post until his resignation on September 19, 1983. In his resignation, Louis expressed optimism about the quality of relations with the United Kingdom and the government ofMargaret Thatcher, yet stated his desire to return to corporate and philanthropic pursuits.[3]
Louis served as a trustee ofNorthwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he had a building, John J. Louis Hall named for his father, John J. Louis, who had also been a trustee of the university. The building, which houses Northwestern's professional production and post-production facilities for the Department of Radio/Television/Film as well as public radio WNUR 89.3 FM and a classroom/lab for the Medill School of Journalism still exists on Northwestern's South end of campus today near Norris University Center.[4]
On February 15, 1995, Louis died in his home inWinnetka, Illinois, at age 69. His sonJohn Jeffry Louis, III has continued the family tradition, serving on the boards of directors ofS.C. Johnson andGannett, as well as theNorthwestern University board of trustees.[5]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom 1981–1983 | Succeeded by |